Sunday, June 17, 2012

Recipe: Chorizo sheets

This is a really fun one to pull on people, and a great way to incorporate the nice spiciness of chorizo into a dish.  Wouldn't you want to tuck into a seared scallop all cozy in its chorizo blanket?  Of course you would!  The flavour will depend on the quality of sausage you use and the density of your puree.  The sausage needs to be cooked ahead, then pureed as smooth as you can get it - you probably won't be able to get it perfectly smooth, but that's ok, you want it to retain something of a meaty texture.  If you keep it thick, you will have more of a pure chorizo flavour, but you may want to make something of a stencil and spread it like a tuille - if you make it thin you sacrifice a little flavour, but you can pour it onto a tray, level it out with a palette knife and cut it once it has set.  I've found that those cafeteria trays with the smooth surface work great with a bit of pan spray - they are usually more consistently flat and they give you the option of a glossy side or a rough side when the sheets are set.  The agar agar will allow you to use the sheets on a hot dish, but be aware that enough heat will eventually begin to melt it.

You will need:

2 - 3                      uncooked chorizo sausage (depending on size)
2.5g / 0.09oz        agar agar
2.5 sheets             gelatin
as needed             tomato juice
pan spray

Method:

 - peel the casing from the chorizo, crumble it up and cook in either a fry pan or by roasting in the oven
 - drain the fat and puree the meat with enough tomato juice to get the texture you want - make sure you get 250ml / 1C
 - measure out the agar agar
 - soak the gelatin
 - apply pan spray to a smooth plastic tray or silicone mat
 - mix the agar with 250ml / 1C of puree
 - bring the mixture to a simmer in a small pan
 - melt in the gelatin
 - either use a tuille stencil or a palette knife to spread the mix on the tray as thin as possible and even
 - let set in the fridge for at least an hour
 - if you spread the mix freestyle, cut your shapes
 - gently peel the sheets from the tray and use warm or cold

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